On 30 October, airstrikes of unknown origin hit the Dahr al-Hamar and al-Fatieh districts of Derna. The strikes killed at least 12 children and women, and injured many more. Both the LNA and the Egyptian military have denied responsibility for the incident. The LNA said it had set an internal six-month deadline to conclude the ongoing UN dialogue talks or else the LNA would move on Tripoli. Clashes broke out in the center of Zawiyya and near the oil refinery on the evening of 30 October.

Since taking control over Sabratha in early October, Khalifa Haftar has strengthened his relationship with several important military leaders in the west of Libya. This week Misratan General Salem Juha, endorsed Haftar as leader of the national army. It is reported that Haftar met with the GNA’s Commander of the Western Region during his trip to the UAE earlier last week. On October 20, a large militia in Sabratha, the Sareyyat al-Orouba, turned itself over to the LNA-affiliated AIOR. On 17 October, intense clashes erupted at Tripoli port after the GNA’s Presidential Guard and the Nawasi Brigade tried to take the port by force. The Presidential Guard secured the facility on 22 October, and it is now operational. On October 19, the Megarha tribe cut off water supplies to Tripoli, in an effort to secure the release of Mabrouk al-Hniesh from Rada Special Deterrence Force.

On 6 October a militia affiliated with theLNA, expelled the Anas Dabbashi militia from Sabratha and Mellitah Oil and Gas Complex, with the approval of the GNA. Local communities who support the LNA victory are demonstrating against the Sabratha Municipal Council, and are demanding that the mayor to resign. On 14 October, Haftar gave a speech at a gathering of security officials in Benghazi, and said that it was unlikely that the UN led political path was the only way forward, instead implying that a military solution “approved by the people” remains possible.

On 6 October, the Anti-ISIS Operations Room, a force friendly with both GNA and LNA authorities, announced its control of Sabratha after defeating the Anas Dabbashi Brigade following three weeks of intense fighting that ultimately left 39 people dead and 300 others wounded. HoR meeting to discuss the LPA planned for 9 October, was postponed after protestors blocked the building entrances.

The clashes between the Dabbashi brigade and the more pro-LNA Anti-ISIS Operation Room have continued unabated in Sabratha with use of heavy artillery, despite attempts by different actors to establish a ceasefire. So far, 26 people have been killed, 170 wounded and thousands displaced from the city centre. In Tripoli, 2 Nawasi fighters were killed by Tajouri’s forces, sparking tensions.

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To monitor the expanding threat posed by the Islamic State's Libyan branch and other jihadi groups in Libya, Jason Pack founded EyeOnISISInLibya.com as a monitoring service detailing the group's history, its interactions with other jihadi actors, and Western actions towards the group. Our aim is to provide a valuable resource for governments, think-tanks, and businesses concerned with jihadi threats and their evolution in Libya.
EOIL is very pleased to be partnering with CRCM North Africa, who is a funding sponsor and with whom we have launched the identical mirror site, Libyan Jihad Monitor. EOIL is a New Jersey registered, 501c3 status non profit organization.